The biggest game of next week, or weeks, is a long-awaited indie sequel you may have heard of. Hollow Knight: Silksong, which has been expected for years, just dropped like a magic back-to-school gift.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is available for several platforms, including Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation and PC. I got a chance to play it for an hour on the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X handheld. This upcoming Windows-based handheld promises better support of Microsoft’s game library and services than previous Windows handhelds offered.

CNET already got a look at the Rog Ally X in person, and a full review will come when the hardware launches in October. I didn’t get to see the OS or Microsoft’s new secret sauce in this device, which may make things work even better, potentially giving the device an advantage over its rivals in the handheld space. 

All I did was play some Silksong, a game that doesn’t demand much processing power at all. Much like the original Hollow Knight, the sequel puts you in a subterranean world of murky mazes and charming, but dangerous, bug characters, finding secret switches and doors to open on what, hopefully, is the right way forward.

Silksong looks as lovely as the previous Hollow Knight game, and I can’t wait to wander around longer and discover more of its secrets (and actually go back and play Hollow Knight again). But I was more focused on Ally X’s controls, which felt generous and comfy like an Xbox game controller. 

The Ally X’s button layout makes sense, and the analog sticks are solid — not too stiff, not too loose. The trigger placement felt just right. The handheld’s size, while big, didn’t feel too heavy (the Ally X weighs 715 grams, compared to the Steam Deck OLED’s 640 grams). I’m getting used to big gaming handhelds anyway, having spent years with the Steam Deck and now adjusting to the larger Nintendo Switch 2.

I was also impressed by the onboard haptics, which seemed to rumble in subtle ways that felt very organic to the game — in this case, giving me little jolts when hitting (or getting hit) by enemies with Silksong’s sword. The whole handheld feel was as comfy as any regular console controller experience. Like many PC handhelds, the controls felt better than the Switch 2’s. I didn’t accidentally press the shoulder buttons, and the responsive sticks and sturdy grips were useful for quick movement. Also, the d-pad is a great way to play.

But will the Xbox Ally and Ally X transform the Windows gaming handheld landscape, offering something like a true long-awaited Xbox handheld, or will this be a stepping stone to a better one in the future? I have no idea. But I’m as curious as anyone else, especially now that the Switch 2 has opened a larger door into the possibilities of graphics-boosted next-gen handhelds.